The Shadows of Ahtohallan
by Unanimous persons
Summary: It's been 1 month since the events that took place at the enchanted forest. Anna is queen and Elsa stands as guardian of the forest. Since then, Elsa has developed the feeling something is still missing. When Elsa again hears the siren's call, her curiosity drags her back to the Dark sea. And what she finds in the shadows of Ahtohallan may be larger than anything she ever expected.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is a new story I thought I'd try out. Of course, reviews are always appreciated. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own frozen or any works produced by Disney.**

Chapter 1: What's missing?

"A turtle! No... a frog!" Kristoff shouted from his place on the sofa. The redhead shook her head viciously, signaling the wrong answer. "Um.. a horse! Oh come on, that's not a horse?" Anna shot him annoyed look making Elsa giggle from her spot on the other end of the couch.

It had been only 1 month since the freeing of the enchanted forest and already life seemed to return to a state of normality. Besides the fact that Anna was now queen and Elsa was now guardian of the enchanted forest, not much changed. Elsa still attended Friday night game sessions every week without fail and overall, being away from the castle hadn't been that bad. Of course, that probably wasn't including the fact that Elsa visited the castle more often than she probably should have on account of Anna's wishes. But it was fine, Elsa missed the group so much that a simple horse ride seemed like a small price to pay to see her family again.

"A duck!" Kristoff continued. Anna shook her head again before repeating the motion of some kind of swimming movement.

"He's never going to guess this," Olaf whispered smugly to Elsa, crossing his stick arms to the best of his ability.

Kristoff thought for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh! it's a dolphin!" He answered making Olaf's jaw drop to the floor.

"Yes!" Anna exclaimed happily, running over to jump into Kristoff's open arms. They giggled together a moment before she planted a firm kiss onto his lips. The action caused a slight tightness to form in Elsa's chest. Closing her eyes, she shook the feeling away. Since the engagement, Anna and Kristoff had gotten even closer than before, both emotionally and... well... physically. Usually the outward displays of public affection never bothered Elsa but recently, something was... different.

The sound of the bell shook Elsa out of her trance, bringing her back into the scene around her.

"But how?!" Olaf questioned. Immediately he shook his head, "Doesn't matter. Elsa, We got this." Picking up his head, he turned it to one side then the other, mimicking cracking his neck before hobbling to the center of the room and pulling a small piece of paper from the basket. Sven again rung the bell, flipping the hourglass as he did. Olaf rearranged to clearly form the shape of a Christmas tree.

Elsa thought for a moment, "um.. a house? Or... an arrow?" Despite Anna and Kristoff's pleading faces, a few more wrong guesses later and Sven rung the bell, ending the round. A sigh circled throughout the room.

"Ok, that one was a given Elsa," Anna giggled, still comfortably perched in her fiancés lap.

"Yea, with the way that Olaf moves his body, that one was obvious," Kristoff added.

Anna looked at him accusingly, "hey! are you saying I can't move my body?"

"Oh I know you can," he replied mischievously, their faces inches apart. They giggled together now, causing the tightness to return to Elsa's chest.

"Actually, I have to go," She stated, standing from the couch before fixing her dress.

"Huh? But we only started like an hour ago." A worried look crossed Anna's face, "is it because of what we said? We're sorry, we didn't mean it like..."

"Ah no no" Elsa interrupted, smiling softly. "it's not that, I just have some business to attend to back at Northuldra," she lied.

"Oh... Ok." Elsa moved towards the door gracefully. "See you soon?" She heard Anna ask from behind her. Elsa looked back at her loved ones still sitting around the fire.

"Of course."

...

Back in Northuldra, a slight frost had started to creep into the forest, illuminating the trees and soil under the moonlight. Elsa walked along the river for a while before seating herself on a nearby stone. She glanced at the moon, letting a breath escape her lips. The mist danced higher into the sky before vanishing as quickly as it had come.

"I know that look."

The sound of a voice behind her startled Elsa, but immediately disappeared as the source came into view. "Honeymaren," Elsa let out a relieved sigh. "You startled me."

"Apologies," Honeymaren replied curtly, moving closer to where Elsa was seated. "What's wrong? You look sad." Elsa shook her head, "it's nothing," she replied with a small smile.

Honeymaren's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Are you unhappy here?"

Elsa waved her hands rapidly at the question, "what? No no absolutely not." She glanced at a nearby fire spirit who was happily rolling in a pile of cold leaves, "I'm extremely content here."

"You're lying to me."

Elsa gazed back up at her, "no I'm not,"

Honeymaren gave her a look, "you're disappointed, It's written all over your face." Elsa tried to object but knew that it was pointless. Honeymaren had become her closest friend here in Northuldra in the 1 month span she had been here. Nothing was getting past her.

Elsa let out a sigh before looking away again, "maybe," she answered.

Honeymaren continued, "is all this not what you hoped for?" She gestured to the forest around her now. "You're the fifth spirit. Protector of the enchanted forest. Friend to both humans and spirits alike."

"I know I am" Elsa replied. "I know."

"Then what?" Honeymaren prodded gently, "what were you expecting?"

Elsa waited a moment not sure of how to reply. "I don't know," she finally continued, " I guess I was just expecting someone a little more..."

"A little more what?" Honeymaren pushed.

"A little more like...well...me" Elsa finished her statement not sure of what she meant by that. Honeymaren walked over to a nearby rock, brushing the dirt off before sitting next to her. She stayed silent, urging her to continue. "I don't know how to explain it but, when I first heard Ahtohallan's song... for a moment, I hoped that it was someone like me." Elsa used her magic to create gentle ice patterns on the water running underneath her. "For a moment... I felt like I wasn't alone."

"But you're not alone Elsa," Honeymaren comforted. "You have Anna and me and..."

"No, of course you're right," Elsa interrupted, "I'm not alone. I just meant..." She paused a moment before continuing. "You know... I was never one to fantasize about romance. That was always more of Anna's thing." Elsa gazed into the distance, remembering the past. "But when I heard it's song... It felt almost like someone was calling out to me. My magic could feel it." Her hands radiated at the memory. "It yearned for it with every fiber of its being... like it couldn't stand being apart." Elsa's eyes returned to Honeymaren now, "maybe I'm just crazy, am I crazy Honeymaren?"

She laughed suddenly making Elsa smile. "Don't doubt yourself Elsa. You're more capable than you give yourself credit for," she replied, tossing a pebble into the running water.

Elsa sighed again, "maybe." Once more she gazed off into the distance. "What am I missing?"

...

A few days later, Elsa found herself back at the castle for yet another family game night. This time however, Pictionary was the game of choice.

"Aw come on, that's not fair! Anna's a much better artist than me," He whined, comparing his paper to Anna's. Her's was intricate and well detailed while his consisted of stick figures and strange shapes.

"Clearly," Anna replied squinting at his masterpiece. "What even is that? A half triangle half circle? A tricle?" She thought for a moment. "Or is it cirangle?"

"Oh haha," he replied grunting.

"Yes! girls win!" She chirped, walking over to give Elsa a high five. The energetic redhead then proceeded to yawn loudly causing a chain of yawns to circulate throughout the room.

"We should call it, it's late." She decided finally.

"Oh good! cause Sven was gonna read me another bedtime story," Olaf chuckled before the two of them walked out of the room.

"Oh no no not this time." Kristoff smiled following them out, their voices trailing down the hall.

Elsa was about to move towards the door when Anna's voice sounded from behind her.

"Hey Elsa, I was thinking... Maybe you could stay tonight."

Elsa turned around, "huh?"

The new queen bashfully grabbed her arm behind her back and swayed slightly. "Well I mean...you haven't in a while and I just thought that it would be nice to have you around for the night. Just like old times." She suddenly held up her hands, "of course, that's if your not busy or whatnot with forest stuff and..."

Elsa thought for a moment before responding, "Why not," she smiled. It did get somewhat lonely in the forest sometimes.

Anna eyes lit with excitement as a small screech of joy escaped her smile. "I call right side of the bed!"

Elsa blinked, "wait... Same bed?"

Anna darted out of the room, giggling, before Elsa could object further. Elsa sighed, dropping the pillow she was holding back onto the sofa. "Wait Anna! Come back!" She yelled chasing after her sister.


	2. Chapter 2

**Apologies for the slow start. Here's the next chapter, Enjoy! As always, reviews are always appreciated.**

Chapter 2: Sirens Song

"_Ah ah ah ah..._"

Elsa's eyes shot open before jerking to an upright sitting position. Moonlight poured through the glass window, painting it's design on the floor in a bright white. She looked around to see Anna, peacefully asleep beside her. Her snores echoing off the walls of the large bedroom. Was it a dream? She questioned. She had sworn she'd heard something. Something so familiar yet impossible at the same time. She rubbed her eyes, softly yawning. It must have been a dream, there's no way it could be what she'd thought she heard.

_"Ah ahhh ah ah ahh"_

Elsa froze, the blood draining from her face. "No... that's- that's not possible." She moved to the edge of the bed, almost waking Anna in the process. Slowly now, she lifted herself off the mattress before planting her feet on the carpeted floor. Sneaking ever so quietly, she moved to the door and exited the room, closing it gently behind her.

_"Ah ah ah ahh ah"_

The sirens voice rang in her head once more, causing her to turn around quickly in disbelief. Why was she hearing this again? Clutching her arms in front of her, she walked back to the balcony from which she first called out to the song. The air was cool and sent a slight shiver down her spine as she opened the door to walk out onto the perch. Elsa placed her hands on the balcony's ledge, night winds had made it brisk to the touch. The calm waters of the fjord shown far below, illuminated only by the moon in the distance.

"What do u want?" She whispered into the silent night. "Why are you torturing me again? Haven't I done enough for you?"

The Ghostly song seemed to echo off the fjord in reply.

Elsa shook her head this time, "No, I can't keep chasing you.. I finished your adventure. I did what you wanted. What more do you want from me?" The song called again. Elsa could feel something deep within the recesses of her magic, pulling her towards the song. She shook her head again, stifling the feeling. "No. I won't. Not this time."

Walking back inside, she turned around before closing the doors firmly. Hastily, she returned to her bed, pulling a pillow over her head.

The next day the siren continued to call...as it did the day after that...and the day after that. It's haunting tone beckoned to her, becoming louder and more persistent with every moment. Eventually, it grew loud enough to cause difficultly sleeping. It was beginning to interfere with her daily duties as well, each time breaking her focus. Covering her ears, she desperately tried to block out its calls but to no avail. With every call, her magic seemed to yank her towards its sound. It's tune slowly overtaking her soul.

After a few more days of what seemed like endless torment, she found herself sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking the dark sea. Ahtohallan sat on the horizon, mocking her with its constant calls.

"This can't go on..." The light from the setting sun turned the dark sea into a fiery red as she watched the waves crash upon themselves. Elsa tilted her head tiredly to look up at the darkening sky, dreading another sleepless night.

_"Ahh ahh aha ah"_

"I missed something, didn't I?" She asked the dark silhouette in the distance. "Something important...I have to go back..."

...

Night had fallen by the time Elsa planted her feet on the icy ground of Ahtohallan. Looking back towards her water horse, she gave a quick nod signaling the ok for it to return to the water.

Her magic pounded on the inside of her chest as the calls rang louder than she had ever heard them. Elsa stumbled up to the entrance, peering down the dark tunnel of ice. "No welcoming lights this time?" She whispered to herself jokingly, trying to break the nervous feeling that had worked its way into her mind.

She produced a small snowball and filled it with her power, making it glow before starting her descent into the glacier. Memories of her first adventure here flooded her head as she retraced her steps. Elsa hadn't been back here since then and hadn't planned on returning any time soon. Though apparently, Ahtohallan had different plans.

The air chilled as she neared the drop off point that led into the seeming abyss. Elsa peered over the edge into the dark below, the blackness pulling her in. She swallowed hard, recalling the near death experience that awaited her at the bottom of this pit.

The sirens voice boomed off the walls as if telling her to just jump already. "Well... here goes," she whispered. With a deep breath, she plunged into the darkness.

The bottom of the pit was just as pitch black as she remembered, the only difference being that there were no longer any visions or moving figures. Just darkness met her now. Looking around for a moment she started to walk. Shadows danced around her as she moved, toying with her mind. They were there, just at the edge of her light. She could feel them watching her.

The sound of the siren made Elsa spin on her heels as she redirected towards the source. Squinting from the lack of light, she continued forward until the entrance to another tunnel came into view. "Here?" She questioned looking around. "This has to be along the back wall of the pit," she decided. Elsa returned her attention forward and started down the icy path.

The first thing she noticed was the change in temperature. Before she had entered, the air had been cold, almost freezing. Now, however, a strange warmth emanated from before her. A little further down, a light at the end of the tunnel appeared. Elsa snuffed her makeshift lantern before entering into a large room. The walls were stone and ran high into the ceiling. Scratch marks littered the walls and terrain beneath her feet. There was a fight here. "Where am I?" She whispered to the voice to which no reply came.

Looking forward again, she noticed a large wall of ice covering the back of the room. It was from there that a strange glow pulsated from deep inside it somewhere. She squinted, walking up to the ice. "This room is warm... why isn't this melting?" She wondered. looking closer, a dark spot in the ice caught her attention. "There's something in there."

Lifting her hand, she rubbed away the top layer of frost to reveal a man floating in the ice. Elsa shrieked, stumbling back in surprise. "...What?... What is this?" Upon closer inspection, the man had a skin tone that was slightly more tan than her own. His hair was black and short which complemented his darker skin color. He almost looked Northuldra, but not quite. Something was a little different.

Elsa lifted her hands slowly, placing them on the ice.

_'Pulse'_

Startled, she pulled her hands away quickly. "What was that?" For a moment she felt her magic radiate throughout her body like a wave of warm water. It dissipated and left her aching for more.

Once again, she placed her hands on the lukewarm ice, feeling the energy race throughout her body. The ice seemed to pulse in tune under her fingertips. Elsa felt her power run down her fingers before her magic shot out of her palms and spread through the crystal wall.

It was silent for a moment before the cave started to rumble violently. The sound of crackle echoed off the stone walls of the room. Elsa's panicked eyes darted around before a large crack split down the center of the wall of ice. The room gave one last shake, shattering the wall into a thousand glittering pieces.

The man tipped forward to which Elsa tried to catch him before he face planted into the floor. He was heavier than she expected causing them to both fall backward onto the ground. A small breath escaped his lips making Elsa's eyes widen is surprise. "He's alive." Eyes still closed, his lips moved ever so slightly, attempting to form words. Elsa moved her ear closer to his mouth but the only thing she could catch before he drifted off was a single word.

"War..."

...

Deep below them, in the depths of Ahtohallan, movement stirred in the shadows. "He has woken..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Next chapter! Enjoy! **

Chapter 3: The Stranger

_"This has to be done! We have no other choice! As long as you live, we still have a chance..."_

_..._

With a quick intake of air, the man's eyes shot open. He was immediately greeted by a beige colored cloth ceiling above him. Hearing a sound off to his side, he turned his head to look over but winced as he did. His entire body ached and burned at the feeling of movement. He decided that instead of immediately moving, he would opt for a quick glance around. From what he could see, he appeared to be in some kind of tent. Mustering his strength, he slowly turned his head to face the door of the shelter. What he saw next made him believe he had passed into the afterlife.

There, standing only a few meters away from him, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Covered only by a shining white dress, her slender figure swayed graciously and she moved around the tent, preparing blankets and other necessities. The woman paused, looking around a moment before using a delicate finger to push a strand of platinum blond hair out of her eyes. They seemed to glow with a piecing blue that placed him in an entranced state. The woman suddenly noticed his stares, making her stop what she was doing.

"Oh, your awake," she spoke, her voice like velvet to his ears. "How are you feeling?" Elsa asked walking up to where the man was still laying comfortably. He opened his mouth to speak but was surprised when no sound came out. Clearing his throat, he tried again, this time managing to produce a raspy tone.

"Am I dead?"

Elsa gave him a strange look, "no?... But we thought you were." She replied picking up a small vase and pouring some water into a glass. "You've been asleep for a couple days now. We were worried you weren't going to wake up."

Fighting the pain, the man slowly lifted himself up to a sitting position, nearly passing out in the process. "Easy," Elsa motioned with her hands. "Don't push yourself." She walked over and held the glass of clear liquid out to him.

Taking a deep breath, he stabilized himself before taking the cup from her. "Thank you," he whispered. The man took a long gulp before continuing again, this time with a clear voice. "Where am I?"

"You're in Northuldra," Elsa replied, taking a seat on a nearby chair.

"Northuldra? What is that?"

A confused look crossed Elsa's face. "You don't know what Northuldra is?" The man simply shook his head. A moment of awkward silence passed between them before Elsa started again. "Who are you? What's your name?"

"I'm... I..." reaching up, he placed his hands on his head. "I... I don't know."

"You don't know your name?" She asked with a surprised expression.

"No, I don't," the man stated again. "I don't remember anything... I..." He placed his hands over his eyes in frustration.

Making use of the silence, Elsa now got a better look at this unknown stranger before her. The same as before, his hair was a dark black which complemented his tan skin color. His features were sharp and toned. Clearly this man had known a life of hard work as was evident from his slim but muscular build. The thing that had caught Elsa's attention more than anything else however, were his piercing gray eyes. Something about them made her feel nostalgic. Like she had known him for a substantial amount of time. A sudden outburst snapped Elsa out of her thoughts.

"Where am I!?" He yelled, panic filling his eyes, "what's going on?" Quickly he moved to stand, getting only inches off the bed before almost collapsing.

"Whoa! hey!" Elsa quickly reached out to stabilize him, grabbing his hand in the process.

_'Pulse'_

Again she felt the strange warmth of her magic running circles in her body. After Sitting him slowly back on the bed, she pulled away and stared at her hands. What happened? Was it because she touched him? Elsa looked back up at the stranger to see if he had the same reaction. The man simply continued to hold his head in confusion.

"You should rest," she continued finally, straightening out her dress. "If you need anything, let me know. I'll be just outside..." With that, she turned on her heels and walked out of the tent, leaving the stranger behind her.

...

Upon leaving the tent, Elsa saw a very worried looking Honeymaren posted near the edge of their camp. She could tell by the way she shifted her weight constantly from foot to foot which Honeymaren tended to do when she was worried about something. Elsa caught her eye as she approached. "What happened? Did he say anything?"

Elsa shook her head in reply, "nothing useful at least. He said he doesn't remember anything."

"How about a name?" Honeymaren continued.

"Nope, not even that." The two women stared at each other in silence, not really knowing what to do or say about the whole scenario. Elsa had just brought a strange man back to their camp and told them that she pulled him from Ahtohallan. The whole thing took Honeymaren completely by surprise and left her speechless.

"Hey... can I tell you something?" Elsa asked, pulling Honeymaren a little deeper into the woods where their conversation couldn't be heard by the other villagers. "That man... I think there's something special about him."

"Special how?" Honeymaren questioned.

"I don't know exactly..." She continued, "it's just that when I touched him a moment ago... for a second I felt something. Like my magic just... connected with him or something." Elsa looked at her with unsure eyes. "Does that make any sense to you?"

Honeymaren shook her head slowly, "no... but I think you should be careful around him." She was whispering now. "He's dangerous. He has the eyes of someone who's experienced a lot of death and violence."

Elsa shot her a questioning look before a yell from the camp caught her attention, "Elsa!" A camp guard exclaimed, running up to the two women with heavy breaths.

"What is it? What's wrong?" A concerned look crawled onto Elsa's face.

"It's the stranger... he's gone."

...

Between heavy breaths, Elsa's eyes scanned the forest, looking for any sign of the man. All was quiet except for the sound of the trees rustling in the wind. Running a little bit further, she froze when a slight tingle ran down the back of her neck and in to her chest. For some reason, Elsa could feel that he was close by.

"We found him! He's over here!" a villager's voice echoed from a short distance away. Elsa sprinted in its direction, bursting through the tree line to find the man surrounded by the village guards. A panicked look filled his eyes as he held up his hands defensively.

"Get back!" he yelled at them, "I don't want to kill anyone."

Not listening to his warnings, the guards moved closer, Spears up and ready to strike. A sudden source of steam seemed to appear, rolling off the mans arms. lifting a hand in the air, the stranger produced an invisible spear that shimmered in the light. Its appearance strongly resembling that of the surface of metal on a hot day. With his other hand, he produced 2 more before launching them towards the 3 closest guards in quick succession. The spears accurately collided with the villagers, throwing two of them back onto their backs and the third into a nearby tree.

Elsa stopped dead in her tracks, trying to comprehend what she had just witnessed. This man, this stranger had used magic just a moment ago hadn't he? Magic like her's... Steam still rolling off of the strangers hands, Elsa stood motionless, mouth still stuck in an expression of bewilderment. All this time, she had thought that only she could use magic. She had thought she was alone...

Noticing that the situation was still not under control, Elsa forced her overwhelming emotions down before motioning to the guards to lower their weapons. "Hey! It's me. Just calm down. No ones going to hurt you," she exclaimed walking closer. At the sight of her, the man seemed to lower his guard for a moment.

Suddenly, the sound of a snapping tree branch startled a nearby villager who still had an arrow notched and ready to fire. The archers finger slipped, letting the arrow loose as it flew towards the man. His attention immediately redirected. Quickly, he held up a hand forming a shimmering, invisible barrier to which the arrow easily bounced off of. Still in a state of confusion, the man rapidly formed another spear, hurling it in the direction of the archer.

Before the projectile could reach him however, Elsa jumped in front of the villager, shooting her own ice magic directly at the incoming spear. The blue rays of her magic smashed into the tip, immediately turning the once dangerous object into a light powder that dissipated into the air in front of her.

Looking back at the man again, she could see that he had completely dropped his arms now, a look of pure disbelief sprawled across his face.

"You're like me..." She could see him whisper at her. Immediately after, the floor beneath the man seemed to spin in all directions. He wobbled for a moment before falling to one knee. The last thing he saw before blacking out again was the woman's graceful figure moving towards him.


End file.
